Background

Find out the why? how? obstacles? benefits? etc to stakeholders

(Companies, PMEs; consumers; financial markets; data users; financial investments, instruments and contracts, governments, regulators and….  you!)

Our speakers will address the implications of the current status for companies in Europe & Luxembourg) with respect to their business competitiveness, changing consumer behaviour and attitudes to the trends in environmentally related initiatives and social responsibility.  

Whereas the overall need and benefits of CSR are essential and laudable, given the current 2025 unpredictable economic, social and political environment:   are we still on the right track?  are the goals, requirements still realistic? are they anti-competitive? and are efforts enough and sustainable?

 Our expert speakers will bring us up to date and will provide their insights thereon.

Agenda

 I      Introduction        (the original objectives of CSR; the recent EU announcement; etc)

II     Brief overview of 2025 status (preparedness by sector; issues; timing…)

III    Current challenges & opportunities:

• Operational issues (relevant data, quantification, accessibility etc)
• Data (gather; reliability; relevance; costs etc)
• Reporting (status; preparedness; etc)

IV     Market reactions:

• Industry sectors (differences; needs; relevance; economics)
• Social (public; consumers, NGOs; environnemental etc.)
• Other effects (on regulatory; valuations; funding; investments; funds;
• Competitors (status? – other world economies and sectors)

 V       Q&A and Discussion 

  Our expert speakers

 For this key event and discussion, we got together 2 leading experts to share their views:

 Mike Van Kauvenbergh – Director and Head of Consulting ESG at Deveco (Atoz)  

A professional since 1994, Mike spent his early years abroad, particularly in Switzerland and Germany, with positions of responsibility in various sectors before heading back to Luxembourg in 2006. In addition to his expertise in sales, marketing, and business strategy, he has developed his ESG expertise over the past 15 years. Mike founded Deveco in 2017 and integrated the company with ATOZ Group in March 2024.

Mike is an accredited expert with the INDR (Institut National pour un Développement durable et la Responsabilité sociale des entreprises) and an auditor for the national ESG label “Entreprise Socialement Responsible”.

He holds an executive master’s in economics from Universität des Saarlandes, Germany.  Mike is also a trained carbon footprint expert and holds the Bilan Carbone© license from the Association for the Low Carbon Transition, France.

Claire Cherpion – Director, Sustainability & Risk Assurance, PwC Luxembourg 

Claire is Director in the PwC Broader Assurance Services, supporting clients to build and to demonstrate the robustness of their sustainability reporting. Extensive consulting and auditing experience in Quality, Health and Social Responsibility.

Specialised in Sustainability and Sustainable Finance, she performs readiness assessment and assurance reviews under ISAE 3000 assessing the compliance with GRI/SASB standards and the completeness and accuracy of the non-financial data contained in the Sustainability reporting. Involved in the PwC TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures), CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) & EFRAG and Taxonomy working groups.

Author of various sustainability newsletters and provided training on GRI standard and Sustainability disclosures reporting requirements.

For years Claire has been supporting clients as process and controls expert, in finance and non-financial transformation projects. Claire has also been at the forefront of PwC’s compliance and regulatory practices with her strong liaison with industry and regulatory experts. Advising clients in laying roadmap to comply with the upcoming EU regulation, incl. CSRD, CSDDD, EU Taxonomy amongst other. Extensive experience in working on sustainability reporting verification e.g. GRI/SASB and CO2 reporting, and project management for implementing the environmental data collection processes(flowcharts), Risk & Controls Matrix, Data quality requirements related to Sustainability disclosures.

She has a master’s in finance (ICN Business School), and a Bachelor of Commerce (Sup’Est); Cambridge – Business and Climate Change: Towards Net Zero Emissions.

She is GRI certified; SASB Level I; CISA certified. Assurance on ESG report and E, S and G Sustainability KPIs

Seminar details

Date & time:  Tuesday, May 6, 2025 (18.15 -20.30)

Event:

18.15   Registration and welcome

18.30   Presentations and Q&A

19.45   Networking – drinks & snacks

Venue:  PwC offices (2, Rue Gerhard Mercator, L-2182, Gasperich, Luxembourg) https://www.pwc.lu/en/location.html

Parking:  at nearby Auchan Cloche D’Or; (25 Bd Friedrich W. Raiffeisen, L-2411, Gasperich.          https://maps.app.goo.gl/wQ1WKm5g8B9e6y7E9

 Fee:    Members:                    EUR: 15 per person

              Non-members:            EUR: 20 per person

 Note:–  This is a CPD qualifying event – certificates available on written request.

Registration: Please register on the ABIAL website ( http://www.abial.lu) and pay the fee in advance to ABIAL.    IBAN = LU56 0024 1398 5698 8300)

For any questions or help, please contact:

Azeem Edun (Chair)                – email:  azeem.edun@kpmg.lu  or tel: 621 876 431

Mervyn Martins (Secretary)    – email: mervynmartins01@gmail.com  or  tel: + 352621332053